Just two weeks have passed since ESPN’s initial women’s college basketball transfer rankings for the 2023-24 season, and already so much has changed. More than 1,000 players are in the transfer portal. While many have already decided where they will play next, a new group of big names entered the portal since the season ended, and the women’s hoops world awaits the decisions of players such as Hailey Van Lith, who played the past three seasons for Louisville, and Aneesah Morrow, who played for DePaul the past two seasons.
The extra year of eligibility — players have the option to play a fifth year in college because of the COVID-19 waiver from 2020-21 — and new transfer rules allow for free movement and quick roster rebuilds. LSU just won a national championship with nine new players, many of whom were transfers, including four of the Tigers’ top five scorers and Final Four most outstanding player Angel Reese.
The impact doesn’t stop with LSU. Every team except Iowa in this year’s Sweet 16 had at least one starter who was a transfer. In the cases of Colorado, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Utah, a transfer was the team’s leading…
